I have two crowns on my front teeth. They’ve never looked quite natural, but now I’m worried there’s something seriously wrong. The gums above the crowns have developed a dark gray line. Is there something dangerous going on?
Gina
Dear Gina,
First, let me reassure you. There is nothing dangerous going on. What you’re dealing with is a cosmetic issue as a result of the type of crown you received. It sounds to me like you were given a porcelain-fused-to-metal crown. These metal-based crowns are more opaque than the all-porcelain crowns because they need the added opaqueness to cover the metal base. The gray line your seeing is also a result of that type of crown. It happens to all metal-based crowns.
The only solution is to replace them. I wouldn’t go to the same dentist. Truthfully, I’m surprised your dentist placed those on your front teeth. For aesthetic reasons, a responsible dentist would only place all-porcelain crowns on your front teeth. These are much more natural looking as you can see from the comparison images above.
Considerations with Your Dental Crown
Check the work of the dentist you’re considering before going through with the procedure. You want your crowns to look natural and seeing examples of work the dentist has done in the past will let you know if he or she is capable of providing that.
Once the crowns are made, the color is permanent. If you are interested in having your teeth whitened, you’ll want to do it before you replace your dental crowns. That way, when the crowns are made they will match the color you’d want them to be permanently.
This blog is brought to you by Glenpool Dentist Dr. Ryan Noah.